Method of securing heels to shoes



Feb. 4, 1936. s. MOLK 2,029,497

METHOD OF SECURING HEELS TO SHOES Filed May 3, 1954 N VEN TO R JbLa/m/v /704/ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

The invention relates to a method of securing heels to shoes, and the object is to facilitate the operation of attaching the heel and, especially, to provide a mode of procedure by which the heel will be located and secured in a precise and proper position on the shoe.

The heel is ordinarily secured to the shoe by nails, driven from inside the shoe, passing through the heel seat and into the heel. When shoes are manufactured mechanism is relied upon to hold the heel and shoe in proper juxtaposition during the driving of the nails, and the nails are driven with precision. Inthe hands of the journeyman shoe repairer the situation is quite difierent. He has no mechanism for holding the shoe and heel as does the manufacturer, and he must rely upon a manual positioning of the heel and shoe, and holding them together during the driving of the nails. This is especially diflicult when the heels are fastened by nails driven through the heel seat from inside the shoe. Oftentimes the heel is not properly placed upon the shoe when the first nail is driven, and consequently the heel will not be properly positioned upon the shoe. Even if the heel is properly positioned as the first nail is driven, yet unless the workman is careful, the heel may turn and become improperly positioned before the next nail is driven, which determines the permanent position of the heel on the shoe. The essential object of the invention is to obviate these difliculties and enable heels to be attached to shoes with absolute precision even in the hands of an unskilled workman.

The invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawing in which Fig. 1 shows in disassembled perspective the heel' portion of a shoe, an unattached heel provided with primary positioning elements later to be referred to, and a heel plate.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the heel end portion of the shoe after the heel has been permanently attached, and

Fig. 3 is a section substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

I represents the heel portion of the shoe. 2 is the heel seat, and 3 the heel.

Secured to the top surface 4 of the heel are prongs 5. Each of these prongs preferably consists of a double ended tack, one pointed end of which is driven into the heel. and the other end of which forms the prong. At least two of these prongs are provided at points well separated.

The heel thus provided with prongs is positioned upon the heel seat and. when positioned, the heel is temporarily affixed to the heel seat whereby it will hold such position by application 'of force to the heel for driving the prongs into the heel seat as by hammering the then upturned tread end 6'of the heel.

The prongs are such as will provide a temporary fastening. They should be sufficiently short as will enable the heel being initially brought 5 into relatively close proximity to the heel seat in order that a proper and precise positioning of the heel may be obtained on said seat. The prongs, also, should be such as will provide a proper temporary fastening, readily entering the 10 heel seat on application of pressure as aforesaid, and having at least suflicient biting engagement with the heel seat as will hold the heel temporarily in place and prevent its accidental displacement during the permanent nailing of the heel. 15 The prongs are, preferably, of insufficient length to extend through the heel seat.

A heel plate 1 is preferably employed and it is now placed within the shoe. This plate is preferably made of stiff fibre and is formed to fit 20 snugly within the heel portion of the shoe. After the plate is in position the heel is permanently secured to the shoe by nails 8 driven through the heel plate and heel seat into the heel until the heads 9 of the nails have drawing engagement 25 with the plate whereupon the plate acts as a head for all the nails for holding the heel securely in place.

After the nails are driven and the heel attached, the plate I, and heads 9 of the nails, are 30 covered by a lining II].

In order that the nails may be driven accurately into the heel so as not to splinter it, and so as to become wholly embedded in the body of the heel, the plate, functioning as a template, is pref- 35 erably provided with pro-formed openings ll through which the nails are driven.

Having' thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

The method of attaching a heel to a shoe which comprises providing the heel with a plurality of separate double pronged fasteners, one prong of said fasteners being driven into the heel seat of the heel and the other prong of said fasteners 45 being of such length as to not pass through the insole whereby the heel may be brought into a relatively close proximity to the heel seat of 'a shoe in order that a proper and precise positioning 0 the heel may be obtained, said prongs vg n 50 driven in being adaptable to have sufiicienfengagement with the heel seat of the shgegtio hol'd the heel temporarily in place, and thgrfiaermanently securing the heel positioned as aforesaid to the shoe by nails driven through the heel seat 55 into the heel from inside the shoe.

SOLOMON Moir 

